


I Want You to Need Me Too

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Stingue [6]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-12 17:04:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17471486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Light, and dark. Dark, and light. When Rogue's shadows start to slip out of his control, Sting is always there to help him rein them in, to support him. And it goes both ways.





	I Want You to Need Me Too

 

    With the amount of time they had spent together since childhood, Sting had become intimately acquainted with the rises and falls in Rogue’s moods long before they had become more than friends. He had seen Rogue at his darkest and most vulnerable, and at his strongest, and he loved all those facets of the other Dragon-slayer. It didn’t matter to him whether things were normal, and they were in the guild laughing with the others, or out on a job, fighting side by side. Or if it was one of the darker days if they spent hours just curled up in bed, with only his whispered reassurances keeping Rogue calm and grounded. As far as he was concerned, they were all essential parts of their relationship, and he wasn’t willing to sacrifice a single piece of it.

    Things had improved after the Grand Magic Games, confronting what his future-self had become and done, resolving his issues with Gajeel and proving to himself at least that fighting alongside Sting helped keep the darkness at bay, had improved Rogue’s mood. However, gradually his mood had begun to darken again, especially in the last couple of weeks. Although even then it was nothing compared to what Sting had walked into a few minutes before. He’d gone ahead to the guild that morning as Rogue had been faffing around with something and he’d become too impatient to wait any longer, it was only when Yukino had pointed out that it had been nearly an hour that he realised why he had been feeling so uneasily. He’d immediately gone back to their flat, hoping against hope that Rogue had just got distracted by something or dozed off again, but even before he had burst into their bedroom to find his partner cowering in the corner, the entire room bathed in shadows, he had known that it was a vain hope.

“Rogue,” he called softly, cautiously approaching the other Dragon-slayer, knowing from experience that it could be dangerous to startle him when he was in this kind of mood. So far he had managed to avoid any serious injury, but he had little scars here and then where the shadows had lashed out at him, and he had to be careful to hide such damage as he didn’t want to see the guilt that he knew would flood the dark eyes that he loved so much. “Rogue, can you hear me?” He called again, dropping into a crouch a short distance away from Rogue, relieved when there was a faint movement to show that his mate was at least aware of his presence.

“S-Sting…?”

“The one and only,” Sting tried to be cheerful, but it was hard when his stomach was tying itself in anxious knots in his stomach. It had been a long time since his mate had been like this, and there was something about the shadows that kept reaching out towards him only to dart away at the last moment, that was making him uneasy. _They’re different…_ He couldn’t explain it, but for the first time, he found himself a little bit afraid of Rogue’s shadows and he struggled to keep his expression even, not wanting Rogue to look up and see the fear in his expression. “Rogue, can you tell me what’s wrong? I want to help, but you need to talk to me,” he pleaded softly.

“It doesn’t matter…”

“What do you mean?” Sting asked, hating the defeated tone and desperately wanting the other Dragon-slayer to look up at him. Rogue could lie with words, but he had never been able to adopt a mask that the blond couldn’t see through, and he needed to understand. No, he wanted to understand so that he could fix that broken tone and drive the shadows away enough so that he could wrap Rogue in his arms and cuddle with him until he felt better.

“The shadows are always there…” Rogue whispered with a shudder, unwilling to lift his head even a little bit because he knew that if he did, he would see the shadows curving towards them. That he would see them curling around Sting, a silent threat as to what they could and would take away from him when he eventually lost control of them altogether. _When…_ at some point he had accepted that it wasn’t a case of if, but when, and the feeling of defeat crushed down on him as he forced himself to continue, sensing the worried blue eyes watching him as Sting waited for an explanation.  “It doesn’t matter if I’m with you, or if I’m on my own, and that’s never going to change…” For a time after the Grand Magic Games, he dared to believe that Sting’s light, that their bond, would be enough to keep the shadows at bay, but that belief had gradually waned, and right now he couldn’t understand how he had believed it even for a moment. _I can’t fight this darkness, not anymore_.

“Yes, it will!” Sting protested more forcefully that he had intended, but there had been something in his mate’s voice that had frightened him. _Don’t slip away from me, please…_ Taking a deep breath, he finally risked closing the last of the distance between them, as clearly words alone weren’t going to be enough to get through to the Shadow mage today. The shadows tried to stop him, brushing against him in warning and he shuddered slightly at the sensation, summoning a little of his own magic to shield his skin as he pressed closer. Dropping back into a crouch he reached out and tentatively laid his hands on Rogue’s knees, gently linking his little finger with Rogue’s. “Rogue…”

“I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!” The frightened cry startled him, and he nearly fell back when Rogue finally lifted his head to look at him with wide, red-rimmed eyes and Sting’s expression softened as he spotted the raw terror in the dark eyes. Gently he grasped one of Rogue’s hands properly, tightening his grip when the other Dragon-slayer tried to pull away and reaching out to brush away some of the tears with his other, relieved to see that his hand was steady. 

“You won’t,” he reassured Rogue without hesitation. This was the conversation they’d had the most, as the Shadow mage feared hurting Sting more than anything else. And catching the way the shadows seemed to waver at his words, Sting decided to press his luck, wanting to at least try to drive that fear once and for all, although he knew that it was a long shot. “Not with your magic at least,” he added softly, relieved to see Rogue focusing and looking puzzled, a little of the fear easing out of the expression as he began to focus on the current situation rather than the fear that had been engulfing him.

“What do you…?”

“Pushing me away,” Sting tried to keep his voice as soft and gentle as possible, but he couldn’t stop a slight edge from forming…because it really did hurt when Rogue pushed him away. They were both used to pushing others away, it had been actively encouraged under Jiemma, but that had never applied to one another, and he didn’t want it to start now. Taking a deep breath, he dipped his head, pressing his lips to the hand he was holding tightly to, before gesturing at the shadows around them, that were wavering more wildly now. “Trying to deal with all of this by yourself, that’s what hurts the most.” _Please, don’t push me away. Let me help you, even if all I can do is hold onto you, and whisper promises that I might never be able to keep._

“But…”

“We’re partners aren’t we?” Sting had caught the waver in the weak protest, and he knew that Rogue was beginning to really hear his words and he raised his head so that he could meet the other’s gaze. Blue boring into brown, as he finally let a little of his control slip, needing Rogue to really hear his words this time. “You don’t have to deal with everything on your own! Because you’re not alone! But…it’s like you don’t even remember that sometimes.”

“Sting…” Rogue whispered, seeing the hint of desperation in the wide blue eyes, swallowing at the sheer amount of emotion in the other's voice.  “I…” _I know I’m not alone…_

“I need the darkness. I need you and your shadows,” Sting continued, barely aware of the fact that he had reached his mate, his own emotions rising up and spilling free now. “You’re the one that keeps me grounded, who stops me from burning myself out…” It was something he had come to rely on more and more, especially since becoming Guild-master. It was Rogue who was always there to pull him out of the office when the paperwork and the responsibility became too much. It was Rogue who snuck in when Sting was out and would do half the work for him, and who would make sure that he ate and rested when he was in a working frenzy. He blinked back sudden tears, squeezing Rogue’s hand tighter as he whispered with more than a hint of desperation.  “I want you to need me too.”

   Rogue’s breath caught at the quiet plea, tears trickling down his cheeks and he was barely aware of the way the shadows were retreating from them both. _‘I want you to need me too.’_ Didn’t the idiot realise just how much Rogue did need him? How Rogue wouldn’t have made it this far without him?  That it was his light, his smile. His confidence that gave Rogue the strength to keep moving forward, even on days like this? Normally Sting seemed so calm and confident that their relationship went both ways, even when Rogue himself was wavering, and Rogue closed his eyes for a moment as he realised that it was his fears and doubts that had bred that question. There was no conscious decision on his part to move, but Rogue found himself flinging himself forward, pulling his hand free of Sting’s as he pulled the blond into a tight hug, burying his face against a muscled shoulder and letting his mate’s scent wash over him.

“I do…I need you more than anything,” he whispered fiercely, his tears falling harder now as he pressed closer to Sting, letting out a shuddering sob as he felt the blond’s arms coming up to return the hug and feeling tender lips pressing against his ear and then his temple. Warmth was engulfing him now, and he knew even without opening his eyes that Sting’s magic was surrounding them, driving the shadows back to where they belonged. “Sting…”

“I know,” Sting shushed him gently, pressing another kiss to the top his head, before adding warmly and with his usual confidence. “I love you too.”


End file.
